[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10893-10894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            BB-USS TEXAS 35

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 9, 2012

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as a kid growing up in Spring Branch, 
I always looked forward to the long days of the hot Texas summers. Long 
days meant more time to play outside. I didn't know that summers in the 
other parts of the world were not steamy like here in Houston. (I now 
tell my friends in Washington that are from the north, that Houston has 
two seasons: Summer and August.) Like most kids in the neighborhood, my 
sister, Jayne, and I played outdoors a good portion of the day and 
didn't come in 'til dark. We knew that when the porch light came on, we 
had to be home within five minutes of seeing the ``beacon'' or there 
would be consequences. Occasionally, we got to take summer excursions 
with the family to the battlegrounds, the Monument and, of course, the 
Battleship Texas.
  My fondness for the USS Texas began in those days and has stuck with 
me throughout my life and career. As kids, we thought it was ``cool'' 
that Texas had its own battleship. We would pretend to shoot the guns 
on the ship, run through the countless corridors, hide in the nooks and 
crannies, and generally live in the disappearing past of the history of 
the great battlewagon. My best friend, Pete Cliburn, and I would climb 
from top to bottom of the ``Mighty T,'' firing every gun and squeezing 
down every open hatch along the way. We explored the many decks and 
climbed the ladders of the upper decks as high as we could go. When you 
reached the top of the ladder of the highest point, you better remember 
that the metal deck you were about to lay your forearms on was as hot 
as a cast iron skillet! But, as kids we couldn't care less, we were 
fighting on the greatest battleship to have ever sailed.
  As I got older I learned more about the amazing legacy of BB 35. The 
USS Texas is the last survivor of the great Dreadnought Battleships. 
She participated in the most important battles of the first half of the 
Twentieth Century, including both World Wars. She was launched 100 
years ago this year and commissioned on March 12, 1914. She was the 
most powerful warship that the world had seen, and she participated in 
the invasion of North Africa, Normandy, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Her most 
notable contributions came in WW II, firing at Nazi defenses during the 
D-Day invasion at Normandy. Called the ``smartest man o'war afloat,'' 
the Texas was an integral part of many US victories. As the flagship of 
the US fleet on D-Day, the Texas was the first of her kind to mount 
anti-aircraft guns and the first US battleship to launch an aircraft. 
At the end of the War, she made three trips, bringing American 
servicemen home.
  On the anniversary of San Jacinto Day, April 21, 1948, the Texas was 
decommissioned. Her place in history took root right here in our 
backyard. School children across Texas saved their nickels to help pay 
to dry dock the Battleship at the site of the Battlegrounds on the San 
Jacinto River. As a kid, it was obvious to me why General Sam routed 
Santa Anna--we had a Battleship! After all she was retired on San 
Jacinto Day. It took me awhile to figure out that the Texas Revolution 
was in the 1800s, and the Battleship Texas was used in the 1900s. While 
that all made perfectly good sense to me back then, my love for Texas 
history in the years to come taught me that they were not the same war 
and General Sam's accomplishments became far more impressive.
  During my tenure as a judge, the ``Mighty T'' found its way back into 
my life and into the lives of offenders that I ordered to be 
``enlisted'' in the ``Texas Navy.'' I ordered probationers who were 
skilled welders, painters, plumbers and electricians to help in the 
restoration efforts of the Battleship. As one of many creative 
sentences, this became another effective tool that both served the 
public and the probationer--a few even went on to be hired by the Texas 
Parks and Wildlife Department. The probationers became a part of the 
history of the great ship. After being dry docked in Galveston in the 
80's, many much needed repairs were made by different organizations and 
thousands of volunteers. The Battleship is now moored in its present 
location.
  During my first term in Congress, I joined efforts with Congressman 
Gene Green in securing federal funding to permanently dry dock and 
display the USS Texas so that my grandchildren and generations to come 
could climb all over one of the world's finest fighting vessels. My DC 
staff visits the ship, usually in August, and I act as the Texas 
historian, along with help from the real experts, the Battleship staff 
from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
  Today, the Battleship Texas serves as a museum and a reminder of wars 
long past. In 1948, she was designated a National Historic Landmark. 
Today, the Texas has an onboard museum that details her efforts in our 
fight for freedom and a history of the sailors that called her their 
own.
  But, all is not well with the Texas. What her enemies in battle could 
not do to her, nature has. She is old and is taking on water. She is 
covered with rubber patches and aluminum plates, and about one thousand 
gallons of water pour through her body every day. Last week, visitors 
were turned away from this National Historic Landmark. The grand lady 
of

[[Page 10894]]

the seas is closed until further notice. Visitors have been told the 
ship is closed while workers battle her leaks. Her recovery could cost 
an estimated 50 million dollars. In a 2007 bond election, voters 
approved $25 million for her repair. This isn't enough. And, as much as 
it will help, the money won't be released until September. Texas is not 
just a National Historic Landmark, she is a state treasure to Texans 
and a monument to American sailors who first sailed her 100 years ago. 
The Texas needs volunteers and money to honor the ship and all who 
sailed her. Time is not on the side of the ship. Texans must save the 
ship now.
  Otherwise, as we approach the sweltering heat of the ``season'' of 
August, we may see the beginning of the permanent demise of the USS 
Battleship Texas. Texans cannot allow the great Texas to sink from 
neglect and disappear beneath the water of history. And that's just the 
way it is.

                          ____________________